


Stitches

by IRLHandsomeJack (LadyMermaid)



Category: South Park
Genre: (I don't go into details, Aged Up, Aged-Up Character(s), Canon-Typical Violence, Child Abuse, Dysfunctional Family, F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Plot Twists, Protective Siblings, They're all high school seniors in this (17/18), Underage Drinking, i'll add more tags later on!!, no worries!)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2019-10-26 21:12:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17753564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyMermaid/pseuds/IRLHandsomeJack
Summary: Life gets easily comfortable in a small town. Especially when you spend every weekend at the same person's house.Kenny McCormick and his younger sister spend every weekend at the Tucker's house. He doesn't think he's ever been that close to anyone else. His life is average and boring. He couldn't be happier. Nothing could change that.Right?---------This fic will be updated every Tuesday!





	1. Broken

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever South Park fic ! I've been in the fandom for five years! I hope you enjoy the journey !

Snow was falling down over South Park. It was a cold January night, unusual for anyone to be walking around. Kenny McCormick knew it wasn’t ideal weather to go for a walk in. His teeth were clenched as he packed a backpack for himself and his sister. He took care to make sure that Karen was well bundled up in his coat. As soon as the tiny teen was settled in a piggy back ride, Kenny quietly snuck out of his window. It was below freezing, but he couldn’t focus on anything but the pain. He lost feeling in his fingers after five minutes of walking. It didn’t matter though. Karen had her head laid on his shoulder, talking about all of the fun that she and Tricia would be having that night. She readjusted herself, nuzzling her face in his back.

  
“I’m glad you’re excited, kiddo. I’m sure Tricia is excited to see you too.” Kenny quietly acknowledged her. He tried to keep his shivering to a minimum, he didn’t want to worry her. He only had a hoodie to keep him warm, his left hand placed lazily in his pocket. Karen’s speech drifted off as she snuggled into his back. Kenny smiled to himself and continued down the street. He kept one arm hooked under one of her legs, but he didn’t need to. She clung to him like he was keeping her alive. It didn’t take long for them to arrive outside of Craig’s house. He gently shook Karen’s knee to wake her.

  
“Wake up, babygirl. I need you to throw some pebbles up at Craig’s window. I don’t want to alert his parents and risk them seeing what Dad did before I can fix it.” He tells her softly, as she wakes. Karen hopped down from his back and went around grabbing pebbles. She started to pelt Craig’s window with her ammunition. Her aim was pretty good, mostly a result of Mysterion’s coaching. He couldn’t even focus on being proud of her.  Karen kept throwing until Craig opened the window, irritation on his face. One final pebble nailed him straight in the forehead.

 

“Hey Fucker, come let us in. Please. I need help.” Kenny called as softly as he could. It wasn’t even all that late, barely 8 pm. Craig slammed his window shut and Kenny hoped that he hadn’t pissed him off. A full minute passed when the front door finally burst open. Craig walked over to Kenny and looked him over, eyes resting on his limp arm.

  
“Gimme your backpack. I can’t wait to find out what happened this time.” He looked back at Karen. “Hey Karen, Tricia is up in her room. She’s kinda bummed that you weren’t here earlier, so you might wanna hurry up there.” Craig pulled Kenny’s backpack off, being careful of his arm. The taller boy turned and followed Karen into his house. Kenny gave a sigh of relief, following at a slower pace.

  
Kenny had gotten used to staying over at Craig’s house during Karen’s sleepovers when she was younger. He’d worried about her the first few times she’d stayed over and had eventually asked Craig if he could stay over as well. It’d quickly became their Friday night hangout. Kenny would laze about on Craig’s bed and Craig would study or play with his guinea pig. Tweek used to join them; but after he and Craig split up junior year, things were tense between them. They had a plethora of inside jokes that Cartman would make fun of constantly. Kenny tried to look casual as he passed Craig’s parents, he really didn’t want to arouse any suspicion.

  
“It’s nice to see you, Ken!” Mrs. Tucker called after the pair as they passed. Kenny turned to give her a smile, before following Craig up the stairs. He could hear Karen and Tricia laughing from the other room.

 

‘ _Good. She deserves to have fun after tonight.’_ He thought, as Craig shut the door behind them.

 

“What happened this time?” Craig asked, already pulling a first aid kit out of his desk. Kenny went ahead and sat down on the bed, carefully taking his hoodie off. There was quite a bit of bruising on his arm, in addition to the swelling.

  
“Ah... Um- Dad tried to hit Karen. I got in the way and he shoved me. I ended up hitting the radiator pretty hard. I think it’s broken.” He shook his head, letting out a shaky laugh. Craig didn’t look very amused.

 

“You’re gonna need to go to the doctor for that.” Kenny began to interrupt him, but Craig cut him off. “I know you're going to say you can’t, but you should.” He rustled through the first aid kit. The kit had grown in the years since Kenny had first started staying over. It had doubled in size, and Craig always made sure to keep it fully stocked. He sighed exasperatedly.

  
‘ _I don’t even know how to treat a broken arm.’_ Craig looked back at Kenny’s injury,then at the items on his desk. He grabbed a ruler, a roll of gauze and a bottle of Advil. He placed the ruler up against Kenny’s arm and began to wrap it.

  
“I still have a sling from when I broke my arm sophomore year. I can adjust it for you, but I’m dragging your sorry ass to the nurse’s office Monday morning.” Craig spoke as he finished wrapping it, turning to dig, in the kit, for the sling. Kenny was smiling, which was surprising, considering the circumstances. Craig grabbed the sling and gently slipped Kenny’s arm into it, adjusting it to fit the lanky boy. The blond winced in pain as Craig moved him. Craig pulled back after a moment, allowing Kenny to cradle his arm against his own chest.

  
“Thanks for the fix. You don’t have to worry about dragging me to the nurse’s office, I promised Karen. Besides, I need to heal up as quickly as possible. I can’t be her guardian angel with a broken arm after all. Did I interrupt you from anything interesting? I know that we’re a couple of hours late.” Kenny reached back with his good arm and adjusting some of the pillows on Craig’s bed so that he could lay back. Craig looked like he wanted to say something, but instead gestured to an open book on his desk.

  
“I was studying for the college course I’ve been taking. I told you that, didn’t I?” He runs a hand through his hair. His signature hat was tossed on his backpack on the floor. Kenny laughed, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

 

“Of course you did, Mr. Future Astrophysicist.” He teased. Craig being one of the smartest students at South Park High was a major shock to most of the class. Anyone who wasn’t Craig’s friend had honestly had no idea. Craig’s overwhelming love for space drove him to want to become an astronaut. After learning that he would be unlikely to ever fly into space, he turned his interest to astrophysics. Now all he wanted to do was study space. He lit up like a Christmas tree every time he talked about it.

  
“If you wanna keep studying, I can just chill over here. Maybe I’ll play with Stripe!” Kenny said with a big smile.

  
“I’m not sure you'll be able to play with Stripe with only one hand. I could use the extra studying, though. We can sleep whenever you’re ready.” Craig waved him off.

 

The pair sat quietly for over an hour. Craig intently studying, playing a Spotify playlist on low. Kenny laid in the same spot, playing a couple of different games on his phone. Finally, Craig shut his textbook with a heavy sigh.

  
“I think my eyes are going to bleed if I try to take anymore notes. Have you ea-” He paused for a second, recollecting his thoughts. “I’m ordering a couple of pizzas. I’ll go ask the girls what they want. Do me a favor and take your shoes off.” Craig said instead, grabbing his phone as he stepped out of the room. Kenny groaned, opting to kick his boots off, instead of leaning over to try and pull them off with one arm. It made him feel a bit guilty, that Craig didn’t even need to ask if he had eaten anymore. Over the years, Craig had adjusted the way he talked to Kenny. Craig didn’t call him stupid, or any derivative of it. He never yelled at him over getting hurt, especially after Kenny had started telling him about his dad hurting him. He was understanding, and usually did what he could do to help the poor siblings. Kenny appreciated the little things that Craig did, but he knew that he would never be able to repay him for any of it.

 

‘ _This arm is gonna get annoying real fast.’_ Kenny flopped back onto the bed, looking up how long a broken forearm would take to heal. ‘ _Two to six weeks?? Fuck. Knowing my luck, it’s gonna be six weeks. I hope it goes by quickly.’_ Craig almost took him by surprise when he came back into the bedroom with two glasses of ice water. His phone was pressed against his shoulder so he could still talk on it.

  
“Yeah. That’ll be two extra large meat lovers pizzas and one cheese. Thank you. 30 minutes? Sounds good. See you soon.” Craig set one of the glasses down. He took the phone from his shoulder and hung up. “Drink up, McCormick. I know you need it.” Kenny dropped his phone on the bed and took the glass. He took a large drink of water before even trying to speak again.

  
“Are you gonna blow up the air mattress soon?” Kenny asked. Craig scoffed at him.

  
“Of course not. You broke your fucking arm. You’re sleeping in my bed tonight.” He replied, as Kenny took another big drink, then sat the glass down on the nightstand.

  
“Where are you gonna sleep?” He asked with a curious tone.

  
“In my fucking bed. It's my house. Plus it’s big enough for two people. You can’t sleep on the air mattress like that and would have a much less guilty conscious if you slept on the inside of the bed next to the wall.” Craig shrugged at him, picking up both drinks. “We need to go downstairs and wait for the pizza. I’ll carry your water.”

  
Kenny didn’t bother arguing with him, he didn’t really care where he slept. He carefully stood up from the bed. He was extremely aware of the fact that he couldn’t catch himself if he ended up falling. The raven haired boy quickly turned on his heel and walked out of the bedroom.

  
“I’m gonna head down first. If you fall, yell, and I’ll try to catch you before you break anymore bones.” He called behind him as he walked down the stairs.

 

“Yeah, yeah. Hardy har, Tucker. We both know that we would both fall on our asses if you did try to catch me. Then there would be two injured teenagers.” Kenny rolled his eyes and pulled off his socks.

  
‘ _There. Now there’s no reason for me to trip down these fucking stairs.”_ Feeling satisfied, Kenny began to descend the stairs, taking each step slowly. ‘ _If I fall and break my neck, then I would have to re-break my arm. There is no way Craig would forget that I broke it. Just gotta take it slow.’_ There was an air of anxiety around the blond until he finally reached the bottom step and landed safely on the ground floor.

 

“Oh no! Craig! Help me! I’m falling!” He called with a teasing tone, laughing as Craig immediately turned to him in panic. Craig’s face turned from worry to blank irritation and he shook his head as he set their drinks on the coffee table. Kenny snickered, walking over to the couch and flopping down on it, in a way that avoided his arm smacking into anything. Craig walked over to the front door, flipping the porch light on, then joined Kenny on the couch.

 

“Just because you decided to be a dick and actually scare me for a minute there, I’m picking what we watch.” He boasted, turning on old Red Racer reruns.

 

“Oh no! It’s almost as if I didn’t also watch this show as a kid. You’re such an asshole, Craig.” Kenny mocked, blatantly sarcastic. He gently punched Craig in the bicep, an obvious joke. Craig looked up at him, appalled.

  
“How dare you, Kenneth? I am sensitive!” Craig tried to keep a straight face as he spoke; but as soon as he saw Kenny, trying to hold back laughter, he lost it. The boys laughed for a few minutes before sinking back into the couch. The pizzas didn’t take long to arrive. There was a knock at the door just as the credits on the episode ran. Craig paid the delivery man in cash and set two of the pizzas on the coffee table. He ran the other pizzas up to the girls. Kenny smiled to himself, hearing Karen excitedly thanking Craig.

 

_‘I should save up some money from work and take her out to dinner soon. I’m sure she would love that.’_ Kenny was quick to pull out his phone and save the idea to his notes as Craig came back downstairs.

 

“Kenny. Eat. Seriously. I know you need to.” Craig opened one off the boxes and took a greasy slice for himself. Kenny rolled his eyes at him, putting his phone away and grabbing for a slice of his own.

 

The two ate in silence as they watched reruns of the show. Both pizzas were gone in an hour. It didn’t take long for the boys to pass out on the couch after their feast. Kenny was curled up under a blanket, when he finally awoke, a couple of hours later. He was groggy as he pulled his phone out to check the time. The bright screen told him that it was 2:47am. He sat up with a sigh, pulling the blanket off. The blond turned and gently shook Craig awake, showing him the phone screen. Craig was easy to wake up.

 

The two ascended the stairs after cleaning up their mess in silence. Kenny held his water cup to his chest. It was their quiet routine. Craig opened the bottle of Advil and handed Kenny two pills for his arm. He turned away to change into his PJs as Kenny took the pills. Kenny let out a deep sigh as he undid his jeans, shoving them down with one hand and getting into the bed, scooting as close to the wall as he could. Craig held up a hand to stop him before he could get all the way there. The taller boy grabbed a spare pillow and stuck it between Kenny and the wall, giving him a thumbs up and climbing into the bed. Both boys settled down pretty quickly. Kenny looked over at Craig’s face and smiled.

 

“Thank you for helping with my arm, and for feeding me tonight.” Craig laughed softly.

  
“No problem, Ken. Now please go to sleep. You won’t heal if you don’t sleep.” Kenny sighed, satisfied at the answer. It wasn’t long until they both finally fell back into a deep sleep.


	2. Understand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy the new chapter! There have been some edits to the first chapter so check those out if you like!

Monday morning felt like an eternity as Kenny groggily walked to the high school. He had worked late last night, trying to make sure that the theater was extra clean before leaving. Sleeping had been hard the past couple of days because of his arm. It didn’t seem to be getting better, but he hadn't bothered removing Craig’s patch up job to check. He’d had to position himself on his side every night instead of his stomach. Kenny almost didn’t see Craig waiting for him at the entrance to the school and had sleepily begun to walk past him when Craig grabbed his arm.

 

“Kenny. I told you I was dragging you to the nurse’s office.” Craig let go as soon as he had his attention. Kenny rubbed his eyes with his good arm and nodded.

 

“I got in really late last night. I’m just tired, dude.” He yawned, walking to the entrance and opening the door.

 

“Tweak Bros closed early last night. When do you have work again?” Craig followed him into the school, keeping pace with the sleepy blond. 

 

“Tonight. I’m gonna see if the nurse will let me sleep for a bit. I haven’t been able to sleep well since I don’t have enough pillows to comfortably lay down.” Kenny yawned again. They walked in silence to the nurse’s office. Craig held the door open for him. The nurse looked worried when she finally saw them.   
  


“Oh god, McCormick, what happened this time? Are you okay?” She stood up from her desk and approached him. She took a quick glance over his arm. “Come sit down, kiddo. I’ll take a better look at your arm while you tell me what happened.” She waved him over to a chair. Kenny reluctantly sat down as the nurse unhooked his sling. The nurse started to unwrap his injury.

 

“I was trying to play with my sister. I ended up tripping over one of her dolls and fell into the radiator. Craig tried to patch me up when I went over to his house that night.” The nurse nodded, gently checking over the unwrapped arm. There was a bit of bruising around the lump under his arm. The nurse checked it with her fingertips.

 

“You need to be more careful from now on, Kenny! We don’t have any way to x-ray your arm, but it feels like it was just a fracture. I have a brace that will be a bit more effective than your ruler. Nice way to stabilize it though, was that your doing, Tucker?” She smiled as she turned to grab the brace. He shrugged.

 

“I couldn’t just let one of my best friends suffer while he stayed over.” The nurse walked back to Kenny with a forearm brace. 

 

“I would still recommend wearing the sling, just in case. This will just allow you to easily be able to shower and adjust the brace as needed.” She paused. “Well, have your sister or one of your friends adjust it. Is there anything else you boys needed?”

 

“Actually, would it be okay if I laid down for a little while? I haven’t been able to get much sleep with my arm.” Kenny asked, sheepishly. The nurse rolled her eyes. 

 

“You know where the beds are. I’ll wake you up by lunch. Just make sure you have someone take notes for you.” Kenny nodded, walking off to the little room with beds. He dragged his backpack behind him.

 

“Craig? Can you ask Kyle to take notes for me? He takes the best notes. I’ll catch up with you later.” He yawned again. Craig nodded and turned to leave. Kenny dropped his bag onto the ground and laid down on the bed. He was asleep before his head ever reached the pillow.

 

Kenny didn’t wake up until two minutes before lunch started. He’d slept peacefully, not even dreaming. He used his good arm to push himself up from the small bed. With a big yawn, he stood up. Kenny grabbed his backpack and waved to the nurse as he walked out of the office. He was still half asleep as he traversed the halls of the high school, all the way out to the courtyard, where most of the seniors ate lunch. All of his friends were spread around the largest table. His space between Kyle and Butters was still empty. No one looked over at him when he first sat down, setting his face on the table. He felt something brush up against his head, but didn’t lift it until Kyle started talking to him.

 

“Jesus dude! What happened to your arm?” Kyle laid his hand on Kenny’s left shoulder. He pushed a brown paper bag lunch in front of him with his other hand. Kenny yawned again instead of answering.

 

“He’s a clumsy idiot. He probably tried to do a kick flip off his roof.” Cartman said from across the table. Kenny wasn’t looking but he knew that everyone sitting there was glaring at him. Both Wendy and Clyde elbowed him at the same time. “Hey! Am I wrong?” Kenny was going to say something when Craig cut him off.

 

“He fell down my fucking stairs trying to protect Stripe, you asswipe. He wanted to play with him on Friday night and ended up falling. Think before you continue to make an ass out of yourself, fatass.” He took a bite of his sandwich as Cartman struggled to reply. A stern look from Wendy just caused him to dig into his lunch.

 

It was in moments like these that Kenny was grateful that Craig’s group had merged with his. The merge had happened at the beginning of 8th grade, and Kenny had been spending every weekend with Craig since 6th grade. They all managed to get along really well together. Wendy had joined them almost immediately, right after she’d helped the boys all kick some sense into Cartman about the things he said. He’d gotten a lot better than he had been in elementary school, enough so that Wendy was comfortable dating him. She’d helped balance him out, since he couldn’t manipulate her. 

 

“Is your arm okay, dude?” Stan leaned over the table from the other side of Kyle to ask. Kenny simply gave him the okay hand before finally digging into the bag lunch. That was another good thing that came from the merge. Kyle had convinced everyone to ask their parents to pack an extra lunch for Kenny on a rotation. Kenny had tried to convince him that it wasn’t necessary, but Kyle knew better. It was Kyle’s turn today. Kenny felt significantly more rejuvenated after eating part of a peanut butter and banana sandwich. Rejuvenated enough to notice when Cartman was heckling Butters.

 

“I’m telling you, Butters! You’re fucking wrong. I had the coolest fucking superhero persona as a kid.” He jabbed a finger at the smaller boy. Butters looked like he was done with the conversation.

 

“Eric, Professor Chaos wasn’t a superhero, he was the world’s greatest supervillain.” He grumbled under his breath, looking around for any way out of the conversation. Kenny slung his good arm around Butters’ shoulders.

 

“Cartman, just admit that you wished that The Coon and Professor Chaos could have had one of those hero/villain romances. It would have been the biggest shocker to your entire franchise.” He winked at Cartman when he saw a blush start to rise on his face. Cartman scowled at him and threw a fry at his face. Butters gently nudged Kenny’s arm off of him.

 

“Fuck you, Kenny. The Coon wasn’t gay, nor will he ever be gay.” Cartman looked so angry that he could have spit.

 

“Sure, whatever you say.” Kenny shrugged before going back to his lunch. “Oh hey Kyle, I can copy your notes during study hall, right?” Kyle turned and pulled his notebook out of his backpack, setting it in front of Kenny. 

 

“Just give it back to me before first period tomorrow. At least you didn’t break your dominant arm. How long until it’s healed?” Kyle asked, looking over the arm.

 

“The nurse said that it might just be a fracture. I looked it up Friday night, though. It could be anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks.”

 

“That has got to suck, dude. We’re all here for you if you need help with anything.” Stan cut in with a giant smile. Clyde cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. He slung his arm over Craig’s shoulders as he begun to speak to the group. 

 

“I’m sure you all know that our favorite little cynic over here is turning 18 in three weeks. I’m throwing him a party on his birthday! The 25th! So clear your fucking schedules! We have to celebrate! I better see all of you there!” Clyde leaned over and gave Jimmy a high five. Craig looked surprised for a moment, but quickly hid it.

 

“Just make sure the party is actually about Craig this time.” Cartman sneered, only to get a bag of chips thrown in his face by Token.

 

The rest of lunch passed by without much incident, just a few more jabs at Cartman. Kenny managed to get the notes all copied before his shared study hall with Kyle and Stan, dropping the notebook on Kyle’s desk as he passed him. He would need to go back through his own notes and double check them. He had dissociated through writing them and had probably messed up more than a few sections. He couldn’t be bothered to fix it though. Kenny wanted to conserve most of his energy for work. He was working concessions that night. It didn’t really surprise anyone when Kenny put his head down for the rest of his classes. He still looked pretty rough. His dissociative state stayed until Craig grabbed his good arm after last period.

 

“Come on, McCormick. I want to make sure you actually make it to work. I’ll drive you.” Craig released him as soon as Kenny looked up at him, yawning.

 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night. Would you be kind enough to bring me a cup of coffee when you get off work?” He couldn’t stifle another yawn as the pair walked towards the exit that let out next to the parking lot.

 

“I’ll do you one better, We’ll stop by Tweak Bros. before I let you go. Clyde and Token are riding with us as well, but you already knew that.” Craig always drove the two of them to school with him to conserve gas. “Plus, they’re going to go see one of the new movies that opened over the weekend and they know you’ll let them sneak candy in.” 

 

“Doesn’t Token have enough money that he could rent out the entire theater for the whole night?” Kenny laughed as they walked outside into the snow.

 

“Definitely. Humor them for me, okay? Clyde likes feeling like he isn’t a burden to Token.” Kenny raised his good hand up in the air. 

 

“I get you. Don’t worry, I doubt I can even pat them down.” Kenny said as he  looked over the parking lot. 

 

Kyle’s car was already gone. So was Stan’s. They both probably had work after school as well. Cartman’s obnoxious Jeep still sat in its usual parking space. Kenny could see Eric sitting in the front seat with Wendy, their faces were smashed together in a way that didn’t look comfortable for either party. He waited until he caught Eric’s eye and made a goofy face at him. Eric looked angry and pulled away from his girlfriend, slamming his hand down on the horn and blowing it at him, right as Heidi walked up to join his carpool. The small girl coiled back in fear,  Kenny couldn’t help but burst into laughter as Craig pulled him towards his car faster. His car wasn’t anything spectacular. It was an old hand-me-down van from his mom. Craig adored it though, even more so because it was accessible to all of his friends. Clyde and Token were sitting on the hood of the beloved car when Craig finally walked up, shooing them away.

 

“What have I told you guys about sitting on my car? I can’t afford to fix him if you break him! Y’all can sit in the back. Kenny gets shotgun because he’s broken at the moment.” Craig grumbled, unlocking the doors. Kenny glanced over to watch Cartman tear out of the parking lot.

 

“Kenny is always broken, one way or another.” Clyde retorted, opening the passenger side door before stepping back and opening the back. He and Token climbed into the first row of seats. Kenny quickly hopped into his own seat and buckled himself with a bit of difficulty. Craig was slow to get in, but started the car quickly. He tapped the play button as he started to drive towards the coffee shop. Crave by Waterparks blared through the speakers as they drove. Kenny could see Craig quietly mouthing the words to the song as he focused on the road. Kenny would have teased him if it wouldn’t have put the promise of coffee out the window. The drive was pretty relaxed, despite the loud rock music providing a soundtrack to their journey. Craig knew every song on that came on. It wasn’t much of a surprise, Craig kept the same three CDs on a constant rotation in the car and used Spotify everywhere else. He shut the music off, right before pulling into the parking lot behind the coffee shop. Clyde and Token were the first ones out of the car, headed towards the theater.

 

“We’ll see you over there, Kenny!” Token called as the duo walked away. Kenny could see Heidi and Wendy hopping out of Cartman’s Jeep in the parking lot of the theater. Heidi waved at Kenny when she saw him. She worked concessions with him most nights, while Wendy worked the ticket stand. She ensured that no one underage got into the wrong movies. Kenny shuddered at the thought of crossing her on a bad day. It had happened to several underaged kids while he’d worked. He hadn't been able to look at Wendy the same way after that. She was scary. Craig held the door open for Kenny. He made a beeline for the backroom as soon as Kenny was out of the way of the door. Craig emerged with an apron tied around him. He didn’t even need to ask Kenny for his order. Kenny stood a bit away from the counter as he waited. Craig seemed to be making small talk with Mr. Tweak as he blended the frappuccino. Kenny smiled. He had the most complicated drink order, but Craig had memorized it pretty quickly. He watched in anticipation as Craig piled a ton of whipped cream on top and slipped a lid on it, before setting it near the edge of the counter. Kenny walked up and picked it up with a big smile.

 

“Thank you, Tucker. What do I owe you?” Craig shook his head.

 

“I’m using my free drink on you. Just don’t be late to work, lazyass.” He shooed him away, prepared to take the next customer’s order. 

 

Kenny happily sipped at his drink as he walked into the theater. He spotted Heidi already at her spot. He paused by the stand to leave his drink so he could change in the bathroom. He already knew that the owner, Mr. Scott, wouldn’t care if he had outside drinks. Kenny struggled to change into uniform in the bathroom, but still managed to clock in on time. He kept the sling on, just like the nurse had advised him to do. 

 

‘ _ I should really try and remember the nurse’s name sometime. I’m in her office constantly.’  _  He thought as he slipped behind the counter.

 

“Jeez, Ken, what happened to your arm?” Heidi asked. She had the same worried look that Kyle got most of the time. Kenny had to stifle a laugh.

 

“I fell on the way to school. Karen slipped on the ice and then I slipped when I tried to catch her. It’s just a fracture. No need to worry.” He offered her a weak smile in response. He realized that she hadn’t been at the lunch table earlier. “Where were you at lunch? I could have sworn you were there, but I didn’t see you.” Heidi’s face turned bright red.

 

“I was...I was working on my science project with Red!” She said with a smile. Kenny’s own smile quickly turned into a smirk. He looked the tiny brunette up and down.

 

“You mean the science project that was due last week? That you turned in at the same time I did?” He teased her, nudging her with his good arm. Heidi pushed him back with an embarrassed look. “You’re gonna need a better backstory if you want people to believe you, Heids.” 

 

“Just don’t tell anyone, please? You know how Red’s dad is. I don’t want her to get hurt.”

 

“My lips are sealed. No one listens to me half the time anyways.” He joked as he spotted Clyde and Token walking towards the counter. “What do you want Clyde?”

 

Clyde smiled wide at him. “Large popcorn with layered butter and a large blue raspberry slushie!” Kenny looked at him deadpanned. 

 

“No. Token, what do you want?”

 

“The same, but with a Coke slushie.” Kenny rung their order up as Heidi got the popcorn. He made the slushies, while Token used a card to pay. “Thanks for the discount, Kenny.” Kenny brushed him off, setting the slushies down one at a time.

 

“Don’t mention it. Seriously. Don’t tell anyone. I can’t afford to get fired. Tell me if the movie is good or not.”  Clyde gave him a reassuring nod as they walked away. 

 

The rest of the night went by slowly. There were plenty of customers, despite it being a Monday night. Kenny was boredly scrolling on his phone when a coffee cup was set in front of him. Craig looked exhausted, and he turned and walked away towards the theaters, before Kenny could even say anything. The coffee was just the boost he’d needed for the last couple hours of the shift. Kenny was practically vibrating when 10:00 pm rolled around and he got to clock out. He waved goodbye to Heidi as he practically ran to the timeclock. He managed to see Craig sitting at one of the tables near the small arcade section. Kenny snuck up on him and pulled his hat off.

 

“Hey! Give that back! McCormick!” He hissed as Kenny danced just out of reach. Craig quickly jumped up and snatched the hat out of his hand, pulling it on before anyone could see the mess that was his hair. “And to think, I was going to give you a ride home.” Craig rolled his eyes as he made a beeline for door. Kenny followed behind as quickly as he could. Craig walked all the way to his car in the other parking lot, before waiting for Kenny to catch up.

 

“Aw! Don’t want everyone to see your hat hair, Tucker?” He teased with a laugh. Craig didn’t even grace him with a response as he unlocked his car. Kenny climbed in as soon as the door was open. “You know, I could have walked home, dude. Thank you, though.” He smiled at him. Craig didn’t say anything as he turned the car on and pulled out of the lot. He shrugged back at Kenny. Craig turned the same CD on and proceeded to actually sing along. Kenny couldn’t help but join him. He had downloaded most of the songs on the album after he’d heard it for the first time. He internally laughed at the image of anyone seeing them drive down the street like this. They were just two dorks rocking out to some good music. Craig was even smiling as they drove. Kenny would have taken a picture, if it wouldn’t have ruined the moment. Kenny could feel his face start to get hot as he continued to sing and laugh with Craig over how out of tune they were. The miniature party continued all the way to the railroad tracks before his house. It was the closest Craig could get, and still turn around. 

 

“That was fun! I wanted to ask, did Clyde tell you he was going to throw a party for you?” He smiled as he asked, a hand on the door handle. Craig sighed, irritated.

 

“Of course he didn’t. I’m still going, but I probably won’t stay for long. You know I would much prefer just hanging out with everyone without a fuckton of alcohol.” He shrugged. “Get some rest, you’re gonna need it if you want to have a quick recovery.”

 

“Yeah, thanks Mom. I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t wait up for me in the morning.” Kenny said, shutting the door and starting to walk to the house. He could hear the TV on, but thankfully no yelling. He quietly opened the door. His dad was passed out on the couch. The beer in his hand was pouring out on the carpet. Kenny scowled as he slipped past him. He made sure to quietly close his bedroom door after he reached it. There was a figure laying in his bed. Kenny could barely make out that it was Karen. He made sure that he was extra quiet as he changed into his PJs. Karen only slept in his room when their parents were fighting. The blond laid down in his bed carefully, using his good arm to pull his baby sister close. She was trembling in her sleep, but quickly calmed in his arms. He sighed heavily and carefully pulled his blankets up over them.

 

“It’s okay, Kare Bear. I’m here.” He murmured to her as he closed his eyes, terrified for what morning would bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta readers! This chapter was mostly written very late at night and needed a bit of work ^^' See you next update!


	3. Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Underage Drinking TW !! Also a Vomit mention TW!!

Kenny struggled to light the cigarette that rested between his lips. It was much harder to do with one hand then he had ever anticipated. It almost made him wish that he could die and have no one remember that he broke his arm in the first place. He sat on the arm of Stan’s couch, one leg tucked neatly under himself. Eric, eventually, reached up from his spot on the couch and snatched the lighter from his hand. The larger man then threw it across the room as hard as he could.

 

“I told you to stop fucking smoking around me, Kenny. Wendy doesn’t like it when I smell like fucking tobacco!” He shot a death glare up at him. The look was cut short when Kyle threw a pillow in his face.

 

“This isn’t your fucking house, fatass. You can leave if you don’t want to smell like smoke.” Kyle yelled at him, only stopping when Stan squeezed his hand. They were sitting on the floor, video game controllers discarded in their laps. Everyone but Kenny was playing on a rotation. He didn’t mind too much, preferring to document all of the stupid shit that everyone said throughout the night. Stan paused the game and stood up with a deep sigh.

 

“I’m getting a drink. Do you guys want your usual?” He called behind him as he walked to the kitchen.

 

“Stan. It’s Wednesday.” Kyle said, a worried look plastered all over his face.

 

“It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!” He yelled back. Kenny could hear glass bottles clinking together from the kitchen.

 

“It’s 5 o'clock right now!” Kyle began to stand up, but Kenny took the opportunity to speak up.

 

“Hey Stan! I’m not drinking tonight! Karen wanted to hang out when I get home!” He said, jumping up and putting a hand on Kyle’s shoulder.

 

“Really, dude?” Stan popped his hand out of the doorway. “Kyle, do you want a beer then? Ken can watch out for all of us. Butters, you never answered me either!” Kenny looked back to see Eric shake Butters’ leg, which was resting in his lap.

 

“Oh! What did you say, Stan? I couldn’t hear ya!” Butters gently kicked Eric.

 

“I asked if you wanted a beer. Or if you guys wanted to switch again for a little while. I kind of want to sit back and relax for a bit.” Stan said with a big smile, entering the room with four beer bottles in his arms. He passed one out to each boy, saving the last for himself. Eric stood up from the couch and dragged Butters to the ground where the controllers sat. Stan quickly pulled his boyfriend on the couch with him, stopping Kyle from saying anything to Cartman. The two lovers cuddled up on one end of the couch, leaving Kenny a seat which he graciously took after retrieving his lighter. The moment that he sat down, five distinct notification sounds chimed from each of their phones. Kenny looked down at his phone to see a text to a group chat Clyde made a couple weeks prior. It was a picture of Clyde crying over a notebook with an English textbook in front of him.

 

**Fucker [5:08PM]**

someone please tell me how this idiot didn’t know the difference between your and you’re & there, their and they’re

I don’t know how he got this far

Tutoring is going great

 

Eric was the first to react. He laughed loudly, almost obnoxiously.

 

“Oh my god! What a fucking idiot, you guys.” He cackled to himself.

 

“Cartman, you literally used the wrong version of ‘your’ in a text to me last week about my essay not being superior to yours.” Kyle pointed out, leaning back against Stan to prevent himself from picking anymore of a fight with Eric. Eric, shockingly, didn’t respond to Kyle. He just tossed his phone down and unpaused the game. Kenny snuck back into the couch so he could respond to the text.

 

**Kenneth[5:10PM]**

he better pay up for your great services ;P

**Fucker[5:10PM]**

he’s paying for pizza tonight on top of the tutoring

I don’t get paid enough for this shit

**Kenneth[5:11PM]**

sounds like you’re getting paid plenty

Didn’t you eat pizza with me on Friday????

**Fucker[5:12PM]**

you can never eat too much pizza

**Fatass[5:12PM]**

Haha clyde even kenny knows the difference between your and you’re

dumbass

**Donny[5:12PM]**

go fuck yourself

**Fatass[5:13PM]**

*you’re

 

“Hey Kenny, keep your faggoty flirting to private messages. I don’t want to see your love declarations to Craig in the group.” Eric quipped, only to earn a pillow to the back of his head.

 

“I literally hate you. Why do I still let you in my house.” Stan groaned, taking a long drink from his bottle.

 

Kenny could almost laugh at the way that his friends kind of fell apart after a few drinks. Kyle was curled up against Stan, passed out after just one beer. Eric and Butters were cracking each other up on the floor, and Stan was just sitting back, looking no different then he usually did. He drank more than the other three combined. Kenny knew he couldn’t express any worry to Stan, no matter how much he wanted to. He had almost zoned out again when Stan abruptly stood up, holding Kyle close to his chest.

 

“I’m gonna go put him in bed. Meet me outside. I don’t wanna lay around here anymore.” Stan spoke softly. Kenny watched him carefully ascend the stairs, getting up and grabbing his parka. The change of scenery would be nice. He was getting sick of watching Eric and Butters make stupid jokes back and forth on the floor. He nudged the larger boy with his foot, dropping the pair’s coats on top of them.

“Stan wants to leave. Get dressed fast, fatass.” He said, zipping his coat up enough to keep himself warm, but still allow him to speak if he really wanted to. Eric looked offended at first, but just threw Butters his coat.

 

“I don’t really feel like walking around with you and Mr. Cynic. Wanna go over to my house for a while? I have cooler video games, anyways..” Eric asked, standing up as he shoved his hat on.

 

“Well sure! I still have a couple hours until my curfew!” Butters smiled in response. Eric walked past him, straight out of Stan’s house, leaving the door open as he walked down the street. Butters waved to Kenny before chasing after the bigger man. Stan didn’t really look surprised that only Kenny stood downstairs waiting for him.

 

“I want to go throw rocks in the pond. Is that okay?” Stan asked as he got his coat on.

 

“Yeah, dude. I don’t mind. Are you doing okay?” Kenny responded, voice riddled with worry. His worry for Stan only increased when he didn’t answer him. Stan opened the door, grabbing a set of keys. He held it open for the blond, locking it behind them.

 

The walk to the pond was mostly peaceful. South Park had gotten much calmer at night then it had been when they were kids. Snow was falling lightly around them, but Kenny was more focused on the blank look on Stan’s face. Stan only drank when it was the weekend or he was stressed. Everything has seemed like it was going great for Stan recently. He and Kyle were going strong. His music landed him a scholarship to the same school that Kyle, Kenny _and_ Craig had been accepted too. His parents were doing a lot better. Kenny couldn’t exactly pin down what could be wrong. He wasn’t even sure that Kyle knew that Stan drank when he was stressed. He knew it best to keep his mouth shut until they had stopped. Stan would be more likely to talk to him when he finally reached his destination. It only took one time of trying to pry something out of Stan before he was ready for Kenny to learn that patience was key. The lights were still on in most of the houses they passed. Kenny made a mental note to text Craig when he got home to ask him how the rest of the tutoring session went.

 

Stark’s Pond was as quiet as the rest of the town. The water looked inviting in the moonlight, but anyone with more than one brain cell knew that it was freezing cold. Kenny quietly watched as Stan grabbed two big handfuls of rocks, shoving them in his pockets and sitting down on a bench that faced the pond. The raven haired boy wasted no time, beginning to chuck rocks across the pond’s surface as soon as he was seated. Kenny took a hesitant spot next to him. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, until Kenny couldn’t contain his worry any longer.

 

“What’s going on with you, dude? I know you only drink during the week when you’re stressed. You can talk to me. Please. I’m worried about you.” Kenny pulled his hood down as he spoke. Stan sighed deeply, throwing a rock as hard as he could.

 

“I’m worried about Wendy.”

 

“Wendy? What’s wrong with Wendy? Oh god. Please tell me it isn’t what I think.” Stan looked at him with disgust.

 

“No! The exact opposite actually. I’m scared that Fatass is gonna hurt her.” Stan sniffled, throwing another rock. Kenny paused to find the right words.

 

“What do you mean? Do you think Eric is abusing her or something like that?” He placed his good hand on the arm that wasn’t throwing rocks.

 

“I don’t think he’s abusing her, but I do think that he’s using her as a cover for something. Eric never cared about girls after Heidi until Wendy confessed her feelings to him. I could have sworn that he had even said something about never wanting a girlfriend that day. It’s been a couple years and I can’t remember. She’s head over heels for him.” Stan sniffled, shoulders beginning to shake as he cried. “I swear to god. I’m gonna kill him if he hurts her. She is one of my best friends. She helped me with Kyle. I love her like a sister.” Kenny scooted over and wrapped his arm over Stan’s shoulders.

 

“They’ve been together for over two years, why are you only saying this now?” Kenny asked, gently rubbing circles into Stan’s shoulder with his thumb. Stan bit down on his lower lip before speaking again.

 

“He keeps skipping out on her. It’s tearing her up. It really is. She has called me three times since Christmas, just crying and begging me to come over and talk to her. I think the fucker might be cheating on her.” Stand grumbled under his breath. Kenny froze up at the word.

“Cheating? On Wendy _Testaburger_? I highly doubt that, Stan. I think Eric actually really loves her. I, at least, hope he does. I would hate to see what she would do if he was cheating on her. Who would else would wanna fuck him? Look at him for five minutes. He shits out of his mouth every time he speaks.” Kenny scoffed, pulling Stan close for a one armed hug. “She’s gonna be okay. If he is cheating, that just means that we can call kick his ass for hurting South Park’s golden girl.” Stan snickered.

 

“She would be the one to kick his ass. Remember when he kept making fun of breast cancer and she kicked the shit out of him? Wends can kick ass. She isn’t a pushover. She’s just in love and I don’t wanna see her hurt. I don’t want him to do to her what he did to Heidi when we were kids.” Kenny sighed.

 

“I know, dude. Heidi ended up seeing what he was doing, though. She’s very happy now. Trust me. I’ll keep on eye on Eric for you. No worries.” Kenny smiled, releasing his friend. Stan wiped the tears that continued to fall down his face away.

 

“I feel like I’m gonna be sick. Let’s go. Thanks for talking to me.”  Stan stood up, a bit wobbly. Kenny quickly tugged his drunk friend’s arm around his shoulders.

 

“I’ll take you home. I knew you were drunker than you let on.” Kenny walked slowly, letting Stan take his time.

 

Everything that Stan said was racing through Kenny’s head. He couldn’t think of any reasons why Eric would do that to Wendy. He didn’t even want to think of the consequences of it. Wendy would be heartbroken. The entire group they had built up for years would be shattered. Kenny shuddered at the thought. He almost didn’t even notice when Stan broke away from to vomit in a flowerbed. The flowerbed in Craig’s yard, his mom’s flower bed. Kenny was too late to stop him. He wasn’t surprised when he saw the front door whip open.

 

“Don’t fucking throw up in my yard!” Craig yelled as he stepped out, turning and seeing Stan immediately. “Oh god dammit, Marsh! What the fuck is wrong with you!” Craig turned his rage on Kenny. “Why the fuck didn’t you stop him?” Craig hopped down his front steps and started to walk towards Stan. Kenny quickly jumped into action and ran up to Stan, patting him on the back and hooking his arm over his shoulders again.

 

“Sorry! I was zoned out and didn’t realize what he was doing at first. Tell your mom I’m sorry!” Kenny smiled weakly at the unimpressed boy. Craig let out an annoyed sigh and took Stan’s other arm, propping him up a bit.

 

“He can apologize to my mom tomorrow. I’ll help you take him home. I don’t want you to break your arm anymore. How much did you let him drink?” He asked as Kenny pulled away from holding Stan and started walking again.

 

“I don’t know. I didn’t drink tonight.” Kenny considered telling Craig about what Stan told him, but decided against it. If Craig mentioned anything to Clyde, Clyde would tell Bebe. Bebe would tell Wendy. Wendy wouldn’t trust Stan anymore. “Kyle is passed out in Stan’s bed.” Craig scoffed.

 

“Well at least they can wake up together. Have you had any problems by your house? I can walk you home too, if you need me to.” Craig offered, grunting as he adjusted Stan again. Stan has essentially passed out in Craig’s arms.

 

“Don’t worry about me. Let’s just get Stan into bed. I promised Karen I would be home. I can’t break a promise.” Kenny smiled at Craig. “Thanks for the offer though. You do realize I only fractured my arm right? I’m gonna be fine.”

 

“I would rather offer you help then have you get hurt worse. Like you said, you can’t be Mysterion with a broken arm. I know you like doing that for Karen.” Craig shrugged as they approached the Marsh household. Kenny opened the door and held it open for Craig. Craig just scooped Stan up and carried him into the house with a scowl on his face.

 

“Why the fuck is he so heavy?” Craig said, irritation setting deep in his face. Kenny almost laughed when he remembered the rocks in Stan’s pockets.

 

“Hold on,” Kenny smiled as he reached into Stan’s pocket and pulled out a handful of pebbles, tossing it out the front door. He was quick to clear both pockets.

 

“What kind of idiot…” Craig sighed. “Point me in the direction of his room so I can get the fuck out of here.” He grumbled. Kenny laughed under his breath and started to climb the stairs, pausing in front of Stan’s door. It was obvious which one was his. It still had a little blue flag with his name on it pasted to the door. He opened the door to see Kyle laying tucked into the bed, probably right where Stan left him. Craig begrudgingly walked into the room. He set Stan down on the bed, turning on his heel and heading back out in the hall. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

 

Kenny quickly pulled Stan’s coat and shoes off, gently tucking him into the bed right next to Kyle. The pair looked so peaceful next to each other. He rested his hand on Stan’s head for a moment.

 

“Don’t worry. I won’t let Fatass hurt her. I promise.” He mumbled. Kenny didn’t stay much longer after that, quickly exiting the house with his backpack on his shoulder. Craig was standing outside in the snow. Kenny was finally able to get a good look at the taller boy. In his rush, he had forgotten his hat. He couldn’t resist sneaking up on Craig and ruffling his hair. “Did you forget about something, Fucker?” Craig swatted his hand away.

 

“Oh I’m sorry. Some asshole let his asshole friend throw up on my mom’s flower patch.” Craig couldn’t keep the annoyed facade up as much, still frowning but not outright being angry.

 

“Her flowers have been dead for weeks and you know it!” Kenny laughed. “Get home before you freeze. Don’t make me walk you, Craig. I swear I’ll do it.” Craig rolled his eyes.

 

“Just text me when you’re home.” He said, beginning to walk back to his own house. Kenny nodded, walking the opposite way.

 

It didn’t take long for Kenny to get home. Karen was asleep on the couch with cartoon reruns playing on the TV. He smiled at the sight of her, making sure she was covered by a blanket. The blond quietly turned the TV off and walked to his room in silence. He carefully hung up his parka and undressed down to his boxers. Kenny plugged his phone into its charger as he slipped into bed, opening his phone to text Craig.

 

**Kenneth[11:34PM]**

I’ve been murdered on the train tracks. Do not mourn for me long, Tucker. Just know that you were my best friend ;-;

 

Kenny almost laughed to him before he got an immediate response.

 

**Fucker[11:35PM]**

I hate you

Asshole

**Kenneth[11:35PM]**

;P

Is Clyde okay btw? I was kind of worried about him

**Fucker[11:37PM]**

Yeah he’s okay

Feels kind of stupid but he’s fine

He wants to fight Cartman but everyone does

Nothing new

Go the fuck to bed

**Kenneth[11:40PM]**

You’re not my mom

You can’t make me sleep bitch

**Fucker[11:41PM]**

I can and i will

Don’t test me

**Kenneth[11:42PM]**

T r y  m e

**Fucker[11:45PM]**

I won’t bring you free coffee for the next two months if you don’t go the fuck to sleep

**Kenneth[11:47PM]**

You got me there asshole

Touche

Fuck you though

Go to bed too

Stop fucking

Playing with Striper or whatevr teh fuck you do at night

**Fucker[11:49PM]**

*Stripe *Whatever *The

**Kenneth[11:50PM]**

This is bullying

I can’t deal with you anymore

Goodnight

 

Kenny tossed his phone on his nightstand and ignored the final buzz he heard from a new notification. _‘Whatever that dick has to say can wait until tomorrow.’_ Kenny let the events of the day buzz around his head until sleep finally consumed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is officially going to be updated every Tuesday ! I hope you are enjoying it so far! See you next Tuesday !


	4. Tenacity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gets a bit gory! The italicized paragraphs are gory so please skip them if you need to! I apologize for the late night update but some things went wrong in my personal life! Happy Reading (and a big thank you to my beta reader <3)

Kenny triple checked that his bedroom door was locked. Karen sat on his bed, swinging her legs as she waited for her brother’s check to be done. Their parents were screaming at each other from the other room. Neither sibling could make out what their parents were screaming about, but it was universally known that it wasn’t good. Kenny shoved his phone and his wallet in the pocket of his parka, walking over and opening the closet door.

“I can’t close the window from the other side.” He sighed in irritation. “We have to use the old way. You go first and then I’ll follow behind you.”

‘It won’t be bad. Can you still fit?” Karen replied, buttoning up her coat. The small brunette stepped patted her older brother, crouching by the poster covered hole in the back of the closet.

 

“Of course I still can. I left the dryer open after last night, but check before you go through.” He kept watch over the door.

 

Karen lifted the bottom of the poster and reached into the hole. The dryer door opened when her fingertips brushed it. Kenny watched as his sister’s legs disappeared under the poster. He waited a full minute before stepping inside the closet himself. The blond gave a heavy sigh as he knelt down to the poster. He took a few precautions to make sure that his arm would be safe before starting to pull himself through the hole. Kenny reached forward and grabbed the rim of the dryer, pulling himself through the small space as quickly as he could. He looked up at Karen waiting for him and reached out a hand.

 

“Pull me through, Kare Bear. One really good tug should do it.” Karen grabbed his hand with a kind smile. She positioned one of her feet behind her and tugged Kenny the rest of the way out of the dryer. Kenny landed on his ass with a soft thud. “Good job!” He laughed as Karen helped him to his feet. “Damn. When did you get so strong?” 

 

“You kind of need to be strong to live in this town.” She shrugged.

 

The pair walked through their backyard, slipping through a large hole in the wooden fence. The town had never bothered to fix the mess that was SoDoSoPa. The McCormick kids had an easy way to get to the coffee shop and the movie theater, the shortcut had come in handy more times than either could count. Karen looped her arm with Kenny’s good one as they finally made it out of ruins. The duo crossed the street in silence, headed directly to the theater. Kenny was taking Karen to see the new horror movie ‘Holly’. It was her turn to pick a movie and she had really wanted to go that night. Kenny didn’t mind, just wanting to make sure she had a good time and enjoyed the movie. As they neared the theater, Kenny could see a familiar blue hat in the distance. 

 

“Tucker! What the hell are you doing here?” Kenny called out to him. He could see Craig’s shoulders tense up before turning around. Kenny saw Tricia standing behind him as he turned around. Karen broke away from him and ran over to her friend as Kenny caught up at his own pace.

 

“Tricia wanted to go see this horror movie. Mom made me escort her. What are you doing here? I thought you were off today. I told you to get some rest.” Craig’s eye narrowed as he looked Kenny up and down. Kenny let out a half laugh.

 

“Karen begged me to take her to come see a horror movie, too” He glanced over at his little sister, who bore the biggest shit eating grin he had ever seen. “What movie are you here to see?”

 

“Holly.” Craig seemed to understand the situation at the same time as Kenny, glaring at his sister.

 

“Oh same! We should all sit together! It’s bound to be less scary if we all sit together. Plus you can use my discount at the concessions then. I’m gonna buy our tickets, but we’ll see you inside. Is that okay with you?” Kenny could have sworn that he saw Craig’s cheeks turn red, but the noirette shrugged and turned away to enter the theater quickly. 

 

Kenny didn’t take long to pay for his and Karen’s tickets. Wendy was at the stand and neither really seemed up for conversation. They wished each other well as Kenny entered the building to find his sister. Craig’s signature hat wasn’t hard to spot in the relatively empty theater. He was standing at the concessions, appearing to be paying for two tubs of popcorn and four drinks. Kenny could feel panic begin to run through his veins as he approached the counter. Heidi smiled happily at him.

 

“Hey Ken! Your sister is seriously adorable. She told me that you were getting tickets and I went ahead and made what you usually like.” She pushed a tub of buttery looking popcorn towards him. “I gave you guys a little extra off, especially since I know you don’t treat yourself often. Enjoy your movie!” She looked like she was having a pretty good day and that put Kenny calmed Kenny a bit. He waited until Craig started to walk to the theaters to even say anything.

 

“You know, I could have paid for my stuff. You didn’t have to do that.” He said, guilt slipping into his tone. Craig waved him off.

 

“You need to save your money. You don’t have just yourself to worry about.” He said as they entered the theater. “Tric, do you wanna sit next to me or are you gonna run off with Karen?”

 

“What do you think, loser? Let’s go sit near the front!” The red head grabbed Karen’s hand and dragged her to the front row. They had one of the two buckets of popcorn. Craig didn’t say anything as he started to walk to the center row, taking a set in the middle.

 

“Guess that means that we’re stuck together, McCormick.” Kenny could feel his heart pound in his chest for just a second. It surprised him a bit. He wasn’t even able to come up with a witty retort as he walked to the side to Craig’s left. It made it easier for both of them to eat the popcorn, especially since Kenny’s arm was still messed up. Kenny chose his next words carefully.

 

“Well, I was taking Karen to McDonald’s for dinner after this. Why don’t you two join us? I’ll buy you some nuggets. A 20 piece.” Kenny smiled, nudging Craig with a goofy smile.

 

“Wow. A 20 piece. Big spender over here.” Craig teased. “Sure. I don’t have anything better to do. Have you seen much promotional stuff for this movie. It looks like another generic slasher. Tricia was so excited to go and see it though.” He rolled his eyes.

 

“I thought it looked pretty cool. Two teenage girls trapped in a house while a killer stalks them. It’s classic!” Kenny smiled as he grabbed some of the greasy popcorn.

 

“It has crazy high ratings. I don’t know how. Neither character really stuck out to me in the trailers. Kassie seems like the generic party girl stereotype. Marie seems like the generic ‘pure’ girl stereotype. I’m ready to roast the movie when it's over though.”

 

“I actually love the casting. The actress who plays Kassie is so pretty.” Craig didn’t respond as the lights in the theater dimmed. They were the only group in the room. It made sense, especially since the movie was about to leave the theaters.

Both boys kept their eyes glued on the screen during the prologue, fingertips brushing a few times as they ate the popcorn. Kenny could feel his heart pounding in his chest again. He tried to rationalize it as the tension from the movie. The girls appeared to be exactly as Craig had described, except Kassie. She didn’t give off party girl vibes, at least not to Kenny. The movie seemed pretty cookie cutter until about 15 minutes in.

 

_ There was a loud clatter from the kitchen as Kassie prepared the couch for movie night. Marie screamed out in annoyance, slamming her fist down on the sink. _

 

_ “Kassssie! Come help me! I dropped Mom’s ring down the sink! I don’t think I can reach it and your arms are longer than mine! Please?” The brunette called. Kassie sighed heavily and rolled the sleeves of her cardigan up.  _

 

_ “Which side did it fall in?” The taller girl asked, a kind smile on her face. Marie pointed to the right side of the sink. Kassie slowly started to reach into the sink. “I thought you got the ring refitted so it wouldn’t fall off anymore?” Kassie’s arm was in the drain up to her elbow. Marie smiled at her. _

 

_ “I did.” She laughed softly as she turned the garbage disposal on. _

 

Sounds of flesh being ripped open and Kassie screaming in pain filled the theater. Both Craig and Kenny jumped. Kenny grabbed onto Craig’s arm in fear and neither boy moved very much.

 

_ Kassie ripped her arm from the garbage disposal and looked at the managed mess. She couldn’t move her arm at all. She couldn’t even speak, all she could do was get out strangled screams of pain. She heard one of the kitchen knives being pulled off of the rack. Marie grabbed her injury and slammed her against the counter. _

 

_ “It’s okay! I’ll make everything all better.” Marie brought the meat cleaver down on the redhead’s managed arm with a devilish grin. She pressed a bloody finger to Kassie’s lips as she started to scream. “Hush now, sweet child! I’m going to make sure that no one knows the body is even yours.” She brings the cleaver down in another powerful swing. This time, it lodged in Kassie’s bicep. Marie slammed Kassie’s head against the counter as she started to saw through her arm.  _

 

Kenny was almost shocked at what he saw on the screen. ‘ _ This is the fucking opening to the movie? Holy shit!’  _  He kept his hand on Craig’s arm for moral support. Kenny glanced over at Craig’s face to see a look of shock, probably similar to the one on his own. ‘ _ This is the best fucking movie I’ve seen lately.’ _

 

The rest of the movie was just as interesting as the opening. The trailers had really not shown what the movie was about. They pulled a Megamind and they did it  _ well.  _ Karen threw herself into Kenny’s arms when they met outside of the theater.

 

“That was so scary! I really liked it though! Did you like it?” She asked, hugging him tightly.

 

“I thought it was amazing, kiddo. I’m glad you enjoyed it. You ready for dinner?” He smiled, giving her the best one armed hug that he could. He looked over at Craig. “Please tell me you drove. It’s very cold.”

 

“You know me too well. Why would I spend half an hour walking to the movie theater when I can get there in 5 minutes?” The corner of Craig’s mouth turned slightly into a smile. Kenny pretended that he couldn’t see it. 

 

“I was so mad that Kassie died right at the beginning. She was so pretty! I wanted her to be the hero!” Karen said to Tricia, walking ahead of the boys. Kenny could barely hear their conversation as they walked out of earshot. He took a slow and deep breath. 

 

“I’m going to buy 100 chicken nuggets.” He said, finally. He happened to pick the exact moment that Craig took a drink of his soda.

 

“Excuse me. What?” Craig sputtered, coughing into his sleeve. Kenny gently patted his back. 

 

“I’m buying 100 chicken nuggets because I want to be that asshole for five minutes. Maybe I’ll even let you have some. Let’s go before you choke.” Kenny smiled, walking ahead of Craig to meet up with the girls by the car. Craig shook his head as he followed the blond. 

 

The car ride to McDonald’s wasn’t filled with talk. It was filled with the usual loud band music that Craig always played. It was a different CD this time and Kenny made sure to sing along to every song that he knew, just to see the look on Craig’s face. He was mildly disappointed when Craig’s face kept its usual stoic nature. Craig pulled into a parking spot close to the door. Kenny hopped out as soon as the car was parked and booked it through the doors. Kenny glanced behind him to see Craig trying to get the girls to follow Kenny and get out of the car with a great difficulty. Kenny smiled as he stepped up to the counter to order. He kept as straight of a face as could manage as he placed his large order and thankfully paid by the time Craig finally entered the restaurant. He looked mildly irritated as he approached Kenny, Karen and Tricia in tow.

 

“You know, I could have paid for my stuff. You didn’t have to do that.” He said quietly. Kenny couldn’t help but smile.

 

“You need to save your money. You don’t have just yourself to worry about.” He laughed. “Go find us a table.” 

 

“No. You go find a table. You can’t carry a big tray of food. I got it. Don’t worry.” Craig patted Kenny’s shoulder and stepped around him to wait for the order, the receipt in his hand. Kenny felt his face grow hot and turned to the girls.

  
  


“Come on. Let’s go find the best table in here!” He said with a big grin.

 

“Hell yeah!” Karen said, her smile just as big as Kenny’s. She grabbed Tricia’s hand and the girls dragged Kenny around to look at all the available tables. The only other people in the restaurant were two older men in at a corner booth. Karen pointed to a circular booth. “Let’s sit there.” The three sat down just as Craig came over with the tray. The look on his face was one of pure irritation. The tray had five big boxes of chicken nuggets, four large fries, four McFlurries of various types, and four large sodas.

 

“This is a little excessive. Even for you.” Craig set the tray down and slid in next to Kenny. Kenny slung his good arm over the taller boy’s shoulders.

 

“I can take the leftovers home to reheat for dinner. Don’t worry.”  Kenny said softly. “Now let’s dig in. I didn’t buy a fuck ton of chicken nuggets for them to go to waste!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! See you next Tuesday!


	5. Major

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I'm gonna update every Tuesday  
> Also Me: doesn't update for a month straight
> 
> I'm very sorry for the delay. There was a lot going on with my home life and I needed to get everything sorted out before writing again. Everything is good now though! And hey! I'm coming back with the longest chapter yet! 
> 
> I would like to very personally thank my beta reader, Austin. He's literally so sweet and I'm so grateful to have him as my beta reader. Y'all wouldn't have this chapter right now if he hadn't kicked my ass into gear to finish it last night.
> 
> He does some dope af art and you should really check him out if you have the time: https://stanisth3man.tumblr.com/ OWO
> 
> EDIT: I FORGOT TO LINK SOMETHING ELSE! Kenny has a CD that is mentioned in the chapter and I made a played for it! Feel free to listen to Ken's gay bops as you read! https://open.spotify.com/user/siebztc1svmlcisjzyr8pphco/playlist/32YjwE03wKNwu1vyC9oVPp?si=E34_EYo2SIK1gSiLeDTCWw

“Congratulations, Jimmy!” The loud clink of bottles filled Craig’s room as the voices of everyone congratulated the smiling boy. It was the last Friday before Craig’s party and all of his friends had come over to celebrate Jimmy’s new opportunity. He had gotten an offer to do a show at a comedy club in LA on the night of the party. Everyone sat around the room with drinks in their hands, except for Kenny. He got the privileges of being the only person to be able to lay in Craig’s bed and hold Stripe.

 

“It sucks that you’re going to miss such a killer party,” Clyde said, shaking his head slightly. “It’s great for your career, though! You could get, I don’t know, famous!”

 

“I’ll be s-sure to thank you first for m-m-my success, Clyde.” Jimmy laughed, setting his bottle down. “I’m sorry that I’m missing your birthday, C-Craig.”

 

“I would miss my own birthday if I had an opportunity like that.” Craig mumbled under is his breath, leaning his head against the side of his bed. Kenny couldn’t help but lean over and snatch his hat off. Craig didn’t even say anything. The group of boys were spread all over Craig’s room. Jimmy sat at the desk. Tweek had his back against Craig’ closet. Clyde and Token were sitting across from Craig. Everyone had a bottle of fancy beer that Token had brought along in their hand, except for Tweek. He was spinning an empty coffee cup from the shop around in his hands. Clyde drank most of his bottle before speaking again.

“We should go out and, like, do something with Jimmy boy before he leaves. We gotta have a little celebration!” He laughed, setting the mostly empty bottle on the ground.

 

“I thought we were already doing that.” Tweek spoke up from his spot. Clyde waved him off.

 

“We should all go and do something.” Clyde paused for a moment before his eyes lit up. “We should go to that 24-hour roller rink.”

 

“We’ve been drinking, plus what about Jimmy?” Craig gestured to the bottle in his hand.

 

“They have stuff so that kids with disabilities can still skate. I remember it from that school trip, right? Am I remembering that right? Token. You remember that, right?” Clyde leaned against him as he drank the rest of his bottle, reaching for one of the last two bottles.

 

“They had something at your birthday party, I remember that.” Token began to speak before Craig cut him off.

 

“We’ve been drinking. It’s almost an hour drive. We don’t even have a way to get down there. My car is the only one that is big enough to take everyone.” Craig downed the rest of his drink and took the unopened bottle from Clyde’s hand. The brunette pouted and reached for the last bottle. Token finally stood up, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

 

“I’m gonna step into the hall and call them. If they have anything to help Jimmy skate too, then we go. Does that sound fair?” He smiled slightly at the boys scattered around the room.

 

“That still doesn’t fix the issue of getting there.” Craig interjected, popping the cap off his beer. Token rolled his eyes.

 

“Kenny, can you drive?” He looked past Craig. Kenny was nuzzling Stripe when he looked up.

 

“Yeah. I-”

 

“Great. Now we have a driver. I’m gonna go make the phone call.” He stepped out of the room. The boys sat in silence for a minute before Craig leaned his head back to look at Kenny again.

  


“Are you okay with driving my car?” He asked, softly. Kenny moved over a bit more to respond to him in the same soft tone.

 

“I’ll only be your driver if Karen and Tricia can come too. I don’t want to leave them out of the fun of roller skating. I don’t mind driving your car as long as you’re sitting up front with me, and I get to pick the music.” Kenny smiled, leaning down close. Craig reached up and grabbed his hand from next to Kenny.

 

“You have a deal. There’s no way I’m gonna sit in the back of my own car, anyways. You know where I keep my CDs. Just pick something.” He whispered, shoving his hat on as he leaned back up. Kenny slipped off the bed and carefully put Stripe back in his cage. The cage took up the majority of one of the walls and had more than enough space for the soft little pig. After making sure that Stripe was safely in, he stepped over Clyde to look over Craig’s mini bookcase full of CDs. It only took him a minute to find what he was looking for. His own crude handwriting was easy to spot among everything. It was a mixtape CD titled ‘Gay Bops for this summer because you don’t have good music taste, dickface’. Kenny had made it two summers prior, right around the time that Craig and Tweek broke up. They had spent the entire summer just running around and acting like idiots, anytime that Kenny wasn’t with Stan and his other friends that was. He didn’t even say anything as he just quietly slipped the CD into his jacket. Token opened Craig’s bedroom door at the same moment that Kenny was done.

 

“Great news. They have accessibility stuff, and no one’s there right now. So guess who rented out the place for a few hours for a ‘private party.’” Token smiled, sticking his phone into his pocket.

 

“No fucking way. You didn’t.” Craig said, setting his now empty bottle on the ground. Clyde nearly spilled some of his beer as he hopped up from the ground.

 

“That’s fucking sick! Now we have to go! Come on, everyone! Get to Craig’s car!” Clyde wrapped an arm around Token’s shoulder before dragging him out of the room. Craig stood himself and turned to grab his jacket. Tweek was pinching the bridge of his nose as he followed the duo out of the room. Kenny looked back at Craig as Jimmy followed suit. Craig gently handed Kenny his keys as he passed.

 

“Go ahead and get the girls. I’ll tell the guys that they’re joining us.” He said softly, zipping his jacket up. Kenny was left alone in Craig’s room, smiling to himself. He stood there for another second before happily walking over to Tricia’s room and knocking on the door.

 

“Come in!” He heard Tricia say from inside. He quietly opened the door to see both girls laying on Tricia’s bed with Craig’s laptop open in front of them. From the little bit of audio that he could hear, it sounded like they were watching slime videos. He smiled at both of them.

 

“You girls already ready for bed? Well, here I was about to tell you that we’re going on an adventure!” Karen perked up at his words and sat up.

 

“An adventure?” Karen smiled, looking up at him with a curious look on her face. Tricia sat up as well.

 

“That’s right, buttercup. We’re going on an adventure. Can you both get dressed really quickly? I’ll braid your hair before we go if you want, Kare Bear.” She nodded vigorously with a big smile. “Wear thick socks. Okay? I’ll see you both downstairs in a few minutes.” He closed the door softly as he walked down the stairs.

 

The living room was empty and Kenny could see the street lights from outside. It was around 10 pm and Kenny was sure that Laura and Thomas were already in bed. He just hoped they wouldn’t mind them taking Tricia to roller skating. Kenny didn’t bother meeting everyone else outside. They would be okay for a few minutes. He moved his arm around. He had been able to do Karen’s hair for the past week, so he was sure that he would be able to use both hands to drive. He heard a door open and close from the top of the stairs, followed by two sets of quiet footsteps going down the steps as quickly as they could. Tricia and Karen were dressed pretty warm. It was obvious to Kenny that Karen has borrowed some of Tricia’s clothes. He smiled at the thought that she would be warm enough. The girls ran up on him before he could even react. He silently pulled two dining room chairs out for them. The girl’s sat down and Karen held up a hairband for him. Kenny broke the silence by gently humming as he quickly braided his sister’s hair. He patted her shoulder when he was done before moving onto Tricia. He fixed her hair as well in the same short amount of time.

 

“Okay, girls. The guys are waiting for us outside. We don’t wanna keep them waiting outside in the cold forever.” He said, a gentle smile spreading across his face. He placed a hand on the door, giving the girls a moment to button up their jackets. Clyde looked the most surprised when all three emerged from the house.

 

“Aw, your sisters are coming with us? Is that even legal?” He said, slightly mumbled. Craig shot a slight glare back at the brunette.

 

“He said he would only drive if they got to come along. So figure your seating arrangements out now.” Craig unlocked the car as he spoke, getting into the passenger side. Kenny waited until everyone else finally poured into the van to slid into the driver’s seat. He was silent as he slid the key in and turned the car on. He took a glance back at everyone in the back to make sure they were all buckled before pulling the CD out of his jacket and switching the music around. Kenny could see Craig watching him out of the corner of his eye. The car remained silent until the opening chords of ‘If U Seek Amy’ by Britney Spears came blaring through the speakers.

 

“Of course. You had to pick the fucking CD that you made because you told me you hated my music.” Craig said, a slight smile on his face. Kenny couldn’t help but laugh.

 

“I like your music now! It just takes some time to get used to rock music and all the stuff you like when all you’ve listened to for years was pop music. You don’t know true pain until you’ve heard Eric Cartman loudly scream sing along to the latest pop music. Plus Britney Spears is an icon. Fuck you.” Kenny shook his head as he looked back, pulling the car out of the driveway. “One of you is actually going to give me directions to this place, right?”

 

“Do you know how to drive to Denver?” Clyde called from the back. “Just get to Denver and then we can direct you from there. Also, we should stop for fast food.”

 

“That is so incredibly helpful, dude. Thank you so much for your insight.” Kenny laughed softly. He leaned more back into his seat as he began their journey to the roller rink.

 

* * *

 

 

The energy in the car had settled after everyone got a little snack from McDonald’s. The high paced music from his CD kept the energy just high enough that everyone stayed awake. Kenny thought that Craig had fallen asleep more than a couple of times. However, every time he glanced over at him, the noirette was still reading on his phone. Kenny was grateful for the lack of light in the car. It prevented everyone from seeing how red his cheeks got every time Craig caught his eyes and smiled at him.  
  
When Kenny finally took the exit into town, Craig leaned over towards him. He quietly gave him the directions to the rink, eyes never lifting from his phone. The drive was just as uneventful as it had been on the highway, except now Kenny was tensed up as one of his best friends was practically laying his head on his shoulder. He couldn’t remember any other time that his heart had pounded in his chest like this because of a friend. It made his skin crawl with anxiety. Craig finally sat up when Kenny pulled into the empty parking lot. He popped his CD out and slipped it back into his coat before turning his attention to the backseat.  
  
“We’re finally here! Are you guys ready for some fun?” Kenny smiled. It looked like Clyde was passed out on Token’s shoulder, with everyone else looking equally as calm. “I’ll go in and talk to the employee’s about the private party while you guys make sure that Clyde isn’t dead. What name is the party under?”  
  
“Smith. I didn’t want to make it any of our actual names since some of us have been drinking.” Token responded as he shook Clyde awake.  
  
“Fucking goddammit. I’m awake. Gimme five more minutes.” The short brunette mumbled as he rested his head back onto Token’s shoulder. Kenny thought that it was best not to point out that they knew people with the last name Smith. Instead, he turned his gaze back on Craig.  
  
“Do you wanna come inside with me or do you wanna bring these losers inside in a couple of minutes?” He asked softly. Craig looked into the backseat and then back at Kenny, a slight smirk growing on his face.  
  
“It’s gonna take more than one person to wake Clyde’s dumbass up. You go ahead and we’ll meet you in there.” He looked like he was about to laugh. Kenny simply flipped his hood on with a nod and slipped out into the dark night.  
  
The small lobby of the rink was dull. It had colorful carpet that went up to the middle of the walls and bad lighting. There was a bored looking teenager sitting at the window. He perked up as soon as Kenny entered. Kenny almost couldn’t believe who it was.  
  
“I’m sorry. We’re currently closed for a private party. We will be open to the- wait, Kenny?” Scott Malkinson gave him a funny look before continuing. “What the fuck are you doing here? Please tell me you don’t have Cartman with you.” Kenny raised his hands in a surrendering way.  
  
“I’m with Craig and his friends. We’re actually the private party. Smith?” He chuckled softly, dropping his arms. Scott looked like he wanted to say something when the doors burst open.  
  
“Let’s get the fucking party train rolling again, McCormick! Oh, fuck is that Scott?!” Clyde yelled as he walked in, rushing up to the counter. “Do you work here? Are you the only one here tonight?” Scott honestly looked a little taken back by Clyde’s sloppiness.  
  
“I work out here so Cartman can’t come and make fun of me at work. Why did you guys rent out the place? Are you guys on something? I’m the only one here on the late shift, so I have to watch you guys.” He furrowed his brows at them before Craig grabbed Clyde’s collar and pulled him back so they could speak to Scott.

 

“So you’re here alone? We’re celebrating Jimmy’s comedy club break out. We were hoping to be able to drink more here. Would you be able to hook us up?” Token asked, leaning against the counter.

 

“Of course not! I don’t wanna get in trouble or fired for helping you idiots party.” He scowled, slumping back in his seat. Craig quietly squeezed in next to Token.

 

“That’s not really the answer we were looking for, buddy. How about this: We pay you extra. You sit here and let us have a free roam with everything in there. We have two people who are completely sober and two middle schoolers. Kenny isn’t gonna let us do any really stupid shit. I can promise you that. Do we have a deal or am I going to have to give Fatass a little phone call and let him know about where you work? I’m sure that he has been dying to know.” Kenny almost couldn’t hear what Crag was saying. He was too busy keeping his eyes on Clyde, who he couldn’t believe had become less sober on the ride over. Scott’s face started to turn a little red as he angrily mulled over his options.

 

“I want $200. Right now. I won’t bug you until its time for you to leave or you make a mess.” Kenny felt bad for the kid. He looked so defeated.

 

“Good choice.” Craig smirked as the bribe was passed to Scott. Kenny turned to the girls.

 

“Don’t follow his example. He’s an asshole. What do you two wanna do first?” He asked softly. Karen looked as if she couldn’t hold her excitement in any longer.

 

“I wanna play Dance Dance Revolution if they have it in the arcade!” She said with the happiest smile. Kenny could almost feel his heart melting. He watched Scott unlock the doors for them before returning back to his seat.

 

“I’ll come find you if Fatass finds out that I work here.” He grumbled.

 

The group entered the empty roller rink almost immediately. The lights were turned low with only the colorful ones going. It almost felt like some haunted place that they shouldn’t be. Kenny immediately saw the DDR game that Karen had mentioned and pointed it out to her before sneaking up to the DJ booth to slip his CD in again. He watched as Clyde made a quick run at the skate rental station. Clyde tried to hop over the counter but ended up just tripping and falling over it with a heavy thud. He popped back up almost immediately. Craig, Jimmy, Token, and Tweek were over at the concession stand. Kenny hit the repeat button on the CD player before heading over to the girls, who had almost immediately started a game.

 

“Where did you guys get money for the tokens to play?” He asked, trying to figure out who was winning between the giggling girls.

 

“Token gave us money in the car and told us to have fun.” Tricia answered, almost tripping and effectively putting Karen in the lead.

 

“My god. He really is paying for everything. Fine by me. More money that I can save for emergencies.” He said with a shrug.

 

Kenny took a step back, glancing over at the other guys. Clyde had brought them all skates and found the additional support for Jimmy. They all seemed to just be drinking and trying to ensure that Jimmy would be safe out on the floor. It was endearing to see. He stood back and watched Karen and Tricia play a few more rounds until Tricia finally stepped off of the game.

 

“I’m thirsty and I want to start skating. I’ll get some skates for us.” She picked up her coat and started to walk away before either could answer her.

 

“Kenny, do you want to play the last round with me? I’m sure you wanna get on the floor too, instead of just watching us play the whole time.” She laughed.

 

“I absolutely do wanna play a round with you. You can pick the song, Kare Bear. I’m not picky.” Kenny smiled as he dropped his coat next to hers, stepping up on the platform with her.

 

He watched as she selected the first Lady Gaga song that she came to. It almost made him laugh. He could see his own mischief in her eyes as she set the game to one difficulty level before the hardest. She gave him a big smile before the game. It wasn’t particularly challenging. Kenny wasn’t hitting every single step, but he was laughing and having fun alongside his little sister. They ended up just goofing off and dancing along and hitting as many steps as they could along the way. He was completely in the zone when he saw a flash out of the corner of his eye. He turned around quickly, a big smile on his face. He almost couldn’t believe what he saw. Craig was trying to stuff his phone back into his pocket.  
  
‘ _Was he taking a picture of us? Probably just gonna use to tease me later. I’ll get him back eventually._ ’ He thought, trying to ignore the ways his cheeks heated up a bit. At the end of the song, the siblings were completely worn out.

 

“Remind me to never let you choose the difficulty again.” He chuckled under his breath. “Let’s go grab some skates and join everyone on the floor. I’m gonna skate circles around Tucker.” Karen laughed and grabbed his good hand, pulling him over to Tricia.  
  
The redhead was sitting at a table with a soda, an extra pair of skates sitting next to her. Kenny watched as his little sister claimed her skates. Kenny almost walked to find a pair of his own when he heard Craig yell his name.

 

“McCormick! I left your skates by the concession stand. Don’t be a dick and get a new pair! I was feeling nice!” He yelled as he skated around the loop. He looked to be a little bit off balance. That worried Kenny a bit, but Craig could take care of himself. He certainly wouldn’t appreciate it if Kenny tried to baby him. The blond simply flipped him the bird as he walked around to find his own skates.

 

They were seated in a chair right next to the concessions. He shook his head as he changed out of his boots into the skates. Karen and Tricia had abandoned him there, so he was the only one that wasn’t on the floor. He had expected to feel a little bit of unease in the skates, but it was almost like riding a bike. He was confident that he wouldn’t fall as he easily skated onto the floor. Craig and everyone but the girls were about half of a loop ahead of him. He made a sneaky move to skate a bit faster to catch up to them. Kenny quickly twisted so that he was skating backward when he finally past Craig. He smiled the most shit-eating grin that he could as he slowed himself a bit.

 

“You look a little unstable there, Fucker. You sure that you’re sober enough to be skating?” Kenny teased. Craig looked unimpressed by him, but he could see the corners of his mouth twitch upwards a little bit.

 

“Kenny. You are so fucking clumsy that I’m surprised that you haven’t tripped over your own feet. How the fuck are you doing that.” Kenny couldn’t help but laugh. He looked over the boys. Everyone seemed to be pretty chill. Kenny almost believed they were all sober until Clyde almost tripped and had to cling to Token.

 

“You might wanna keep an eye on Donovan. He might try and knock you over in order to make himself look like a better skating.” Kenny sped up his skating just a bit so that he could circle the boys a little bit. The tipsy boys all erupted into snickers and giggles.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Karen almost trip and quickly separated from the boys. He kept an easy pace between the two groups, just to make sure that he could catch the girls if they fell. The groups stayed pretty calm for several go-arounds of the rink. Kenny was almost completely calm. He was practically right behind the girls. It was the most relaxed that he had been in a long time. Kenny closed his eyes and took a slow deep breath when he heard a yell of annoyance from behind him.

 

“JESUS CHRIST CLYDE! DON’T FUCKING PUSH ME-AGH!” Kenny heard Craig yell before turning around.

  
  
Craig was skating towards him quickly, almost completely off balance as Clyde laughed from behind him. Kenny only had a moment to react, so he did the first thing that came to his mind. He opened his arms a bit so that he could catch Craig when he ran into him.

 

Craig hit him hard. Kenny wrapped his arms around him as soon as they made contact, but the force was enough to send both boys crashing over the protective banister. Kenny swore that he saw stars as soon as his head hit the carpeted floor, but he was more focused on making sure that Craig didn’t get hurt. The taller boy was pretty much laying directly on top of him and was holding onto Kenny as tightly as Kenny held onto him. The pair loosened their grip and pulled away enough to be able to look at each other.

 

“Hey, are you okay?” Kenny asked softly, cursing his cheeks for feeling hot.

 

“Yeah. I’m fine. Clyde’s just an asshole. I might have had a bit too much to drink. Are you okay? I just knocked you over the barrier and landed on you. How’s your arm?” Craig’s eyes narrowed. Neither boy made any motion to get off of the other.

 

“It’s fine. I landed on my back. Do you want me to beat up Clyde for you?” He looked over Craig’s face. He tried to justify why Craig’s cheeks were probably as red as his own, but nothing connected in his head. Craig chuckled.

 

“I can kick his ass myself. Are you sure you’re okay?” Craig asked, looking legitimately concerned.

 

“Kenny! Are you okay?” Karen yelled before Kenny could answer Craig. He instantly let go of him and started to stand, offering Kenny a hand up.

 

“I’m fine, Kare Bear. Clyde’s on thin fucking ice though.” He took Craig’s hand and pulled himself up trying to make sure that his balance was still good before flipping Clyde off.

  


“I didn’t do anything that you can prove!” Clyde yelled back in response. Kenny didn’t do anything but roll his eyes.

 

“Do you feel okay enough to keep skating?” He looked up at Craig with a gentle smile.

 

“I’m going to skate circles around you, McCormick.”

 

“Hmm. Yeah. We’ll see about that.”

 

* * *

 

They had stayed at the roller rink for two hours after Clyde pushed Craig. The four boys kept drinking through the time they spent there. Clyde was practically passed out in Token’s arms by the time they left and Kenny had to make sure that Craig didn’t trip and fall again. He had never seen him drink this much before. Or at all. It made him more nervous than his face let on.

 

It was 4 am before they actually returned to the Tucker residence. Kenny dropped Tweek and Jimmy off at their respective houses before pulling into the driveway. Token carried a passed out Clyde over to his house with a happy wave to Kenny before they disappeared through the bushes separating the two houses. Kenny looked back at the girls before getting out.

 

“Why don’t you two go ahead and get back inside and in bed? I can handle getting Craig upstairs by myself.” He smiled happily at them. Tricia yawned back at him.

 

“You aren’t my dad, but whatever. Let’s go, Karen.” Kenny sat there and waited, watching the girls go inside before turning this attention to Craig.  
  
He was passed out in the passenger seat, curled in on himself. Kenny was tempted to take a revenge picture for earlier but figured that Craig would already be mortified enough about getting plastered. The blond was careful as he slipped out of the car and over to Craig’s side. He opened the door with a lot of caution before gently shaking Craig awake.

 

“Hey. We’re home. Let me help you upstairs.” He said softly as Craig groggily opened his eyes.

 

“Hmm. Okay. I trust you, Ken.” Craig started to get out of the car by himself but stumbled as soon as he stepped foot on the ground. Kenny quickly pulled Craig’s arm around his shoulders and supported him. He pushed the car door closed with his foot and locked it with the button as he pulled Craig towards the front door.

 

“You’re never drinking like this around me ever again. I miss the Craig that will call me an asshole and banter with me. Drunk Craig is no fun.” He softly teased as soon as they were inside.

 

“You can’t be an asshole. You’re too nice. That’s why I like hanging out with you. You don’t treat me like a fucking statue.” He mumbled. Kenny almost could have laughed.

 

“I’ve watched your dorky ass study for college classes and snuggle Stripe too many times for me to be able to see you as anything else than a dumb loser.” Kenny readjusted his grip and decided to slowly take on the stairs. “Do you usually get this drunk? Jesus Christ.”

 

“No. I don’t like not rememberin’ shit. Clyde just makes it seem like soooo much fun. Even if it really isn’t. It’s okay though. I have you here. That makes up for Clyde’s dumbass.” Craig nearly tripped on the stairs. Kenny was instantly reminded of every time that he saw Stan like this and made a mental note to encourage Craig to not let Clyde peer pressure him into drinking more than usual.  
  
They finally reached the top of the stairs and Kenny practically threw him into the bed as soon as they got into Craig’s bed. He would have, at least, if Craig hadn’t been holding onto his shirt like it was saving his life.

 

“Please stay up here with me. It’s been super comfortable having someone else in bed with me.” He mumbled, tightening his grip on Kenny’s shirt.

 

“I was planning on doing that. You gotta let me at least take my parka and my shoes off. And you need to take off your shoes, Fucker.” He laughed softly, pulling Craig’s hands from his shirt.  
  
Craig gave him puppy dog eyes almost instantly and Kenny almost wished that he was recording everything. He didn’t even think that Craig would believe him in the morning. He was at least glad that he wasn’t as emotional as Stan. It was a nice change of pace, even if he never wanted to see him like this ever again. He moved quickly, trying to get his pajamas on as quickly as possible so Craig would stop looking at him like that. Kenny waited until Craig got into what he was wearing to bed to even try and turn off the lights. Craig grabbed onto Kenny again when he got close and dragged him down next to him in the bed.

 

“Thanks for staying over with me.” He murmured. “You’re such a good friend and I really like having you around.” Kenny felt his heart start racing again as Craig snuggled up to him. It seemed so unlike him that it almost took him completely off guard.

 

“I’m just glad that you haven’t gotten annoyed with me bothering you all the time. I’m sure I’m in your way more than you want to admit.” Kenny laughed softly. He tried to push his nervousness of having Craig this close to him away, but it didn’t work. Craig looked up at him with a tired expression.  
  
“You never bother me. I like you way too much.” He mumbled, almost too quiet for Kenny to hear. His breath caught in his throat.  


“Wait. What did you just say?” Kenny asked, almost frozen in place as Craig just pressed his face into his shoulder. He seemed to have fallen asleep. Kenny couldn’t help but scoff to himself. “You shouldn’t. Remember what Cartman always said. I can only afford fuckin poptarts.” He mumbled.

 

“That’s okay. I like poptarts.” Craig sighed, finally falling asleep in Kenny’s arms.  
  
Kenny could feel his face heat up. He didn’t even know how to process anything that just happened. He silently wrote it off as Craig talking out of his ass. The blond laid next to the sleeping man for hours, staring up at the ceiling until Craig released his shirt in his sleep and rolled over. Kenny moved himself as close to the wall as he could and curled in on himself, not catching a wink of sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be trying to get the next update out by the 23rd! However, the next update will be a double update of two chapters !! If I can't get it out by the 23rd, then it will be out by the 30th GUARANTEED.
> 
> Y'all can hold me to that. See you next update <3
> 
> Update (4/30): ;-; I got Chapter 6 done, but work kept me from finishing & as well. Both will be up on the 31st instead! I'm sorry aaaaa ;-;

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! A big thank you to my beta readers! See you next chapter!


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